Southeast Asia is famous the world over for making your dollar go the extra mile like nowhere else in the world, and the same holds true for finding good eats that don’t cost an arm and a leg. Thailand is cheapie central when it comes to street food: For a $1, a hungry wanderer can stave off hunger pangs until the next meal. Two dollars and you get meat to go with it. If you can spare $5, you can sit pretty in a restaurant and gorge on the best tasting curry-based cuisine on this side of the planet.
And it doesn’t stop there. Vietnam, Indonesia and Cambodia all have their cheapie fares that tempt the palate without burning a hole through the wallet. Case in point:
Southeast Asia Recap: Food and Transport | A Wandering Sole
Even this foodie acknowledges that Southeast Asia is where the cheapest of street foods can be found, from $1 red curry stuffed with squid and shrimp in the streets of Bangkok to the less than $2 “pho bo” in the stalls of Hanoi.
10 Great Meals Under $2 from Around the World | Uncornered Market
In Yangon in Myanmar, street food is literally on the street. Sometimes squeezed between parking cars, like this.
In Hanoi, French baguettes are piled high (precariously) like this, so it’s grab-and-go.
Pork satay in Din Daeng in Bangkok are grilled right on the spot and served smoking hot!
You want to see how they’re done? This video is instructional.
So the next time you head to Southeast Asia and worry if your $10 daily budget will fit, try to find a room for $5 or less, and you won’t worry much if the rest of your meager budget will buy you a meal.
